Trickling-filter floor construction



Sept. 28 1926.

J. G. BARBOUR TRICKLING FILTER FLOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed May 15. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1,601,465 J. G. HARBOUR TRICKLING FILTER FLOOR couswauc'rxou Sept 28 1926.

Filed May 15 192s 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 trough tile and grid Patented Sept. 28, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATIENT OFFICE,

zrnro inmerrmnn FLOOR oonsrnno'rio v,

r fi r r m y 15, 12. .Se NO- 0: 8::

The invention relates to a false or open floor constr uiction for trickling filter beds, and the "object of the improvement is to provide special shapesand arrangement of blocks by which a permanent fioor can be constructed for supporting the filter bed.

'trickling 'filter bed may be made of coarse mat rial such as clinker, gravel or broken stone, through which sewage effluent trickle 111' thin films for aerating and durifying the same before it is discharged into "an o'pen water course.

In the use ofsuch filters, difliculty is experienced in the accumulation and adhesion of suspended solids and organic growths" in the open'flo'or and dr ainagesystem, whlch not only prevents the freeflow of purif ed efliuent 'therethrough, and may also recontami'n'ate the same,"butinay require the entire filter b; d toteremovea for cleaning and purifying the floor and drainage openings.

' These difliculties are accentuated when th e floor and drainage structure is made of con crete or other granular or porous material, because thesarnegives'a very good anchorage for fungusfg'rowth 'and is also subject to disintegration by the ordinary physical reaction and i the chemical reaction of the s'ewage'eifluent." 1 V The most desirable and efficientfform of floor construction for "such "filter beds i cludesthe'use of adrainagetrough substructure, and a grid block superstructure; and itdS'tlie'purpOse of the present invention to build such structures out of special shaped vitreous tile and blocks, which can be laid upon "a concrete bed and serve to avoid the difficulties of construction and use which have attended other forms of floor construction.

"A preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which- "Figure l is an of'jthe drainage troughs showing the grid blocks'incross'section; V

2', a fragmentary perspective view showing details'of the floor construction;

Fig. 3, a detached perspective view of one grid block;

posed upon it.

ed in the base of the end elevation section along one F a de ac ed Per p e Vi w .of ne trough tile; and I 5, ra men ary e t on showing a m ifi d te m o trcush til i i a n m als refer o imi ar Pa t e ghqut t awings A m n Q cen ret ed 6 ma first b a d PQ he und and th s me Should be of suflicient thickness and upon a suitable foundation for supporting the entire load of the floor structure and filtfil bed im- The surfacefi of the concrete bedshould be finished in a smooth plane, with sufii- V cient slope or inclination'lengthwise of the drainage troughs 7 to insure'a prompt and free flow of purified effluent along the same, to a suitable outlet 7 which maybe provida l of th filte bed.

A series of laterally arranged rows of trough blocks 9 are laid upon the fiat face 6 of the concrete bed 6, and for the purpose of the present invention, these blocks are m with a ide flaboaom Wa 9 and a relatively narrow flattop Wall 9". Then h tile r a d en and, hey fo m a series of laterally spaced pier supports for the ends of grid blocks 10, which are transversely laid in adjacent rows upon the piers so as to bridge the trough 7 which is formed between them, each pier forming asupport for the adjacent ends of the grid blocks of two rows. i

For the particularpurpose of the present invention, the trough tile are made of vitreoous material, with the wide bottom wall formed full width of the tile for bearing upon the flat face of the concrete bed, and to facilitate the forming, drying and burning of the same, they may be provided with a plurality of longitudinal openings 11, which also serve to reduce the material and Weigh of the tile.

The inclined side walls of the trough tile are each formed with a concave exterior surface and when the piers are spaced so far apart'that the edges of the trough tile do not meet, the lower edge of each concave surface may be curved abruptly downward so as to erm unded s dg 9 long. each ASSIGKQB TO THE METROPOLITAN PAVING- OHIO, A CORPQBATIQN OF OHIO.

' sure the most efficient side of the tile, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4:. hen, however, the edges of the tile abut each other, they are preferably formed with square edges 9 so as to form a neat longitudinal abutment between them, as shown in Fig. 5.

The troughs 7 or 7 which are formed between the tile are thus given the proper concave cross section, which is necessary to inflow of the sewage eflluent through and along the troughs.

It has heretofore been sought to provide spaced bearing supports for the ends of various kinds of floor brick by forming a series of spaced piers of concrete upon the concrete bed, but this practice encounters the difficulty in forming the bearing top of such a rib without a suliiciently uniform fiat surface for properly supporting the ends of the floor brick, accompanied by a breaking or fracture of the edges of the bearing surface.

A further difficulty is experienced when concrete or other kinds of piers are made with straight upright sides forming a normal angle at the base of each side of the pier, which is objectionable in a sewage drainage trough because of the accumulation and adhesion of suspended solids and or ganic growths therein.

By forming spaced supporting piers of series of trough tiles made as described herein, the same can be readily laid, one at a time, upon the flat face of the concrete bed, by the use of a thin layer of cement mortar in case of need; so that the narrow tops 9 of the trough tiles will form a continuous and uniform fiat bearing support for the ends of the grid blocks, which can be laid directly upon the bearing tops of the trough tiles without the necessity of using any mortar for leveling up the bearing surface of the spaced piers.

Each grid block 10 is preferably made with flat faces and upright end walls 10 at each end, and a plurality of upright longitudinal walls 10 and 10* extending between the end walls, and spaced apart so as to form a slotted longitudinal opening 11 between adjacent longitudinal walls.

The preferred form of making the grid blocks, is to locate one of the longitudinal walls 1O flush with the ends of the end walls 10, and to locate another one of the longitudinal walls 10* at an interval within the other end of the end walls 10 equal to the space between adjacent longitudinal walls, as shown in Fig. 3, so that when a series of grid blocks are laid side by side upon the trough blocks, a flat floor is formed with a uniform series of slotted openings 11 between the longitudinal walls extending across the trough below, as shown in Fig. 2. a

The width of the slotted openings 11 are such as to prevent the larger pieces of drain- 7 pipes 14 may be built in concrete standards 15, from which a series of riser pipes 14 may extend upward with suitable nozzle 16 on their ends for properly spraying a supply of sewage effluent upon the filter bed, in

well known manner. Then this construction is used, the concrete piers 15 are provided with suitable passages or ports 15, in line with the troughs 7, so as not to stop the flow of purified effluent through. and along the same. a

For the purpose of the present invention, the grid blocks 10 like the trough tile 9, are made of a vitreous material, as for instance of vitrified shale, or fire clay, so as to present a smooth glassy surface upon which suspended solids and organic growths will not accumulate or adhere, upon a body which will not anchor fungus growth or be disintegrated by ordinary physical reaction or the chemical reaction of the sewage.

When made in the manner and of the ma terial described herein, the floor construction under a trickling filter can be used continuously for a long series of. years, without removing the filtering material for cleaning the openings in the floor and drainage structure. I r

I claim:

1. A trickling filter floor made of trough tiles having wide bottoms, relatively narrow tops and concave sides, laid end to end to form supporting piers and intervening troughs, and grid blocks laid on the piers and spanning the troughs between them.

2. A trickling filter floor including a flat face concrete bed, series of vitreous tiles laid end to end and side by side to form supporting piers and intervening troughs, the bottoms of the tiles being formed wide and fiat to bear full width of the tile upon the flat face of the concrete bed, the tops of the piers being relatively narrow with concave sides to form the troughs, and fiat face vitreous grid blocks laid on the piers spanning the troughs between them and forming a flat floor.

3. A trickling filter floor including a flat face concrete bed, series of vitreous tiles laid end to end and side by side to form supporting piers and intervening troughs, the bottoms of the tiles being formed wide and flat to bear full width of the tile upon the fiat face of the concrete bed, the tops of the piers being relatively narrow with concave sides to form the troughs, and flat face vitreous a Wide flat base Wall, a relatively narrow flat top and side Walls With concave exterior faces, said faces adapted to form in the grid blocks extending across the troughs when placed side by side with simitroughs formed by the pier tiles belowsaid iar tiles.

grid blocks. In testimony thatv I claim the above, I

4. A trough tile for a trickling filter floor have hereunto subscribed my name. made of Vitreous material and formed with JAMES G. BARBOUR.

grid blocks laid on the piers spanning the troughs between them and forming a fiat floor there being series of slotted openings 

